The Life Plan (18 page)

90

2

12

6

Fruit

1 medium (5.9 oz) pear

96

0.2

0.6

25.7

Very lean protein

4 oz very lean T-bone steak

200

8.4

29.4

0

Starch

¼ cup brown basmati rice

160

0

3

36

Vegetable

2 cups zucchini squash

40

0.5

3

8.4

Vegetable

1 cup brussels sprouts

56

0.8

4

11.1

TOTAL

1847.9

38.5

138.5

238.7

The Life Plan diets are meant to give you the right nutrients and enough calories to support your workouts and keep you feeling full all day long. But when you are training really hard, you might still be hungry, especially after you work out. The hunger you experience after workouts reflects the state of glycogen depletion you have created. This is exactly what you want. As you deplete your muscle and liver glycogen stores, your body is forced to use body fat for its energy, and this is what you need to lose body fat.

I view this hunger as a good thing. It tells me that I am burning fat and getting closer to my fat-loss goal. Once I began to think of hunger in a positive way, rather than as something I wanted to avoid, it became much easier to deal with.

However, you don’t want to remain hungry for too long, because your body may begin breaking down muscle tissue instead of fat for energy. So, within one hour after an intense workout, you should have a protein/carb shake: 0.23 gram of protein and 0.7 gram of a high-glycemic-index carb per pound of body weight. In other words, if you’re a 180-pound man, you should consume about 126 grams of carbs and 41 grams of protein. This will quickly replenish your glycogen stores, promote an anabolic hormonal environment for muscle building, and alleviate your hunger. And I would count this as one of your six meals for the day.

This fat-burning, low-glycemic option excludes red meat and dairy fat (such as cheese and milk). Just beyond the Basic Health Diet, this plan removes the biggest sources of saturated/plaque-building fat, which plugs your arteries. Eliminating this source will actually stop the progression of plaque—and in some cases, reverse plaque buildup.

While the commercial food industry is already doing a good job of removing trans fats from our food supply, no real effort is being made to rid our diets of saturated fats, which come almost exclusively from animal products. Other popular diets, such as Atkins and South Beach, center on low-glycemic carbohydrates, yet heart disease is still on the rise. To my mind, the combination of low-glycemic eating and consuming less than 10 percent of your calories from fat sets you on a heart-healthy path.

When I’m not extensively training, I follow this diet. When you are following the Fat-Burning Diet, you will be having five or six meals a day at three- to four-hour intervals. The recipes and menu suggestions for these healthy food choices can be easily prepared by steaming, grilling, or stir-frying with small amounts of oil. Follow this rotation for one week and then repeat. You can also mix up the days, but try to keep the meals together. At the end of the chapter, there are simple recipes that you can substitute if you prefer to cook your meals once a week, as I do.

Like the Basic Health Diet, many of these meals are self-explanatory and require no cooking and little preparation. Others require very rudimentary cooking skills, like chopping, baking, boiling, or broiling. Most of these meals can be prepared in a microwave oven. Just complete the instructions that precede the ingredients list to create a satisfying and easy-to-prepare single dish.

As in the previous diet, feel free to repeat days, but don’t swap out individual meals.

DAY 1

MEAL #1
: Combine the tofu, onions, and celery in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook. In a separate dish, prepare the oatmeal with the boiling water. Top with blueberries.

Very lean protein

3 oz low-fat tofu

90

2

12

6

Vegetable

1 oz onion

12

0.1

0.3

2.9

Vegetable

1 oz celery

4

0.1

0.2

1

Fruit

5 oz blueberries

81

0.4

1

20.6

Starch

½ cup rolled oats

303

5.4

13.2

51.7

Free Food

1.5 cups boiling water

Fruit

1 (5.2 oz) nectarine

114

0.8

2.8

27.4

Very lean protein

2 oz nitrate-free turkey jerky

203

2

38.5

2

Very lean protein

4 oz grilled tilapia

145

3.1

29.5

0

Soup/starch

1 cup lentil soup

150

2

9

28

Starch

¾ cup cooked brown rice

216

1.8

5

44.9

Very lean protein

1 scoop whey protein drink

110

0.75

22

0.5

Fruit

1 medium (6.4 oz) apple

95

0.4

0.5

25.1

MEAL #5
: Combine all of these ingredients into one stir-fry.

Very lean protein

5 oz shrimp

140

1.6

29.6

0

Vegetable

1.5 cup bok choy

14

0.2

1.6

2.3

Starchy vegetable

3 oz baby corn

45

0

8

3

Vegetable

1 cup snap peas

41

0.2

2.7

7.4

Vegetable

3 oz baby carrots

30

0.1

0.5

7

Free Food

2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce

6

0.1

0.5

0.9

TOTAL

1815.65

21.05

176.9

230.7

DAY 2

MEAL #1
: Combine the Egg Beaters, tomato, onions, and cilantro in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook. In a separate dish, prepare the oatmeal with the soy milk. Top with blueberries.

Very lean protein

½ cup Egg Beaters

60

0

12

2

Vegetable

½ cup tomato, diced

16

0.2

0.8

3.5

Vegetable

1 oz chopped red onion

12

0.1

0.3

2.9

Vegetable

cilantro (.1 oz)

1

0.1

0.1

0.1

Starch

¼ cup rolled oats

152

2.7

6.6

25.9

Fruit

1 oz blueberries

16

0.1

0.2

4.1

Medium-fat protein

½ cup soy milk

50

2

3.5

4

Very lean protein

1 scoop whey protein drink

110

0.75

22

0.5

Fruit

1.5 cups whole strawberries

69

0.6

1.4

16.6

MEAL #3
: Combine all the ingredients exceptthe toast to create a filling salad.

Very lean protein

4 oz grilled chicken breast

186

4.1

35.1

0

Vegetable

3 cups mixed green salad

20

0

1

3

Vegetable

½ cup tomato

16

0.2

0.8

3.5

Vegetable

½ cup cucumber

7

0.1

0.3

1.3

Vegetable

3 tbs bell pepper

6

0.1

0.2

1.3

Medium-fat protein

1 oz soy mozzarella

63

3

7

2

Vegetable

1 oz chopped red onion

12

0.1

0.3

2.9

Fruit

½ cup raspberries

32

0.4

0.7

7.3

Polyunsaturated

2 tbs raspberry vinaigrette

60

3

0

8

Starch

1 slice rye toast

160

0

6

34

Very lean protein

6 hard-boiled egg whites

102

0.6

21.6

1.2

Vegetable

1 oz white onion

10

0

0

2

Vegetable

¼ cup tomato

7

0.1

0.3

1.5

Vegetable

1 oz red peppers

7.5

0.1

0.3

1.7

Starch

1.5 cups cooked wild rice

248

0.7

9.8

52.4

Very lean protein

4 oz grilled mahi tuna

147

1.3

33.7

0

Starchy vegetable

1 sweet potato (6 oz)

162

0.4

3.6

37.3

Starch vegetable

1 cup snap peas

26

0.1

1.8

4.8

Vegetable

1 cup cauliflower

25

0.1

2

5.3

TOTAL

782.75

20.95

170.9

211.2

DAY 3

Very lean protein

2 scoops whey protein drink

220

1.5

44

1

Fruit

1 large (4.8 oz) banana

121

0.4

1.5

31

Monounsaturated

½ cup cubed avocado

120

11

1.5

6.4

Vegetable

¼ cup tomato

7

0.1

0.3

1.5

Vegetable

1 oz white onion

10

0

0

2

Very lean protein

1 oz nitrate-free turkey jerky

100

1

19

1

Very lean protein

4 oz broiled halibut

158

3.3

30.3

0

Vegetable

1 cup spinach

8

1.2

0.8

0.4

Starchy vegetable

7 oz yam, baked

230

0.2

3

54.8

Starchy vegetable

1 cup corn

66

1

2.4

14.6

Starchy vegetable

½ cup canned adzuki beans, rinsed and drained

147

0.1

8.6

28.5

Fruit

1 medium (4.6 oz) orange

62

0.1

1.2

15.5

Vegetable

1 can (11.5 oz) low-sodium V8 juice

72

0

2.9

14.4

Soup/starch

1.5 cups “Not So Portuguese” kale soup

102

2

3

18

Very lean protein